Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A delivery system including an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet using a consumable, a mobile terminal, and a server for providing a delivery service for delivering the consumable, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises: a first display that displays information; and one or more first controllers configured to: cause the first display to display a message that recommends a contract of the delivery service and a two-dimensional bar code based on information of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a web site of the server in a case where a low remaining state of the consumable, in which a remaining amount of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus becomes lower than a predetermined amount, occurs in a state where the contract is not performed; and notify the server of consumable information in a case where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs in a state where the contract is performed, wherein the mobile terminal comprises: a camera; a second display that displays information; and one or more second controllers configured to: cause the camera to capture the two-dimensional bar code displayed on the first display to obtain the URL, access the server based on the obtained URL to obtain screen information of a registration screen for inputting contract information of the delivery service, cause the second display to display the registration screen based on the screen information, and cause a user to input the contract information in the registration screen, wherein the contract information includes at least identification information of the image forming apparatus, and wherein the server comprises: one or more third controllers being configured to: send the screen information to the mobile terminal in response to the access from the mobile terminal; make the contract with a user of the image forming apparatus based on the contract information input in the registration screen; and decide to deliver a new consumable to the user of the image forming apparatus based on the contract information obtained via the web site and the notified consumable information.
2. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more first controllers are further configured to: cause the first display to display the message and the two-dimensional bar code in accordance with a predetermined button having been pressed on a screen in a state where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs and the contract is not performed.
3. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more first controllers are further configured to: cause the first display to display a screen including a button for prompting the user of the image forming apparatus to make the contract of the delivery service in a case that the contract is not performed.
4. A delivery system including an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet using a consumable, a mobile terminal, and a server for providing a delivery service for delivering the consumable, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises: an image forming device that prints an image on a sheet; one or more first controllers being configured to: cause the image forming device to print a report including a message that recommends the contract of the delivery service and a two-dimensional bar code based on information of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a web site of the server in a case where a low remaining state of the consumable, in which a remaining amount of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus becomes lower than a predetermined amount, occurs in a state where the contract is not performed; and notify the server of consumable information in a case where the low remaining state of the consumable that is used in the image forming apparatus occurs in a state where the contract is performed, wherein the mobile terminal comprises: a camera; a display that displays information; and one or more second controllers being configured to: cause the camera to capture the two-dimensional bar code on the report to obtain the URL access the server based on the obtained URL to obtain screen information of a registration screen for inputting contract information of the delivery service, cause the display to display the registration screen based on the screen information, and cause a user to input the contract information in the registration screen, wherein the contract information includes at least identification information of the image forming apparatus, and wherein the server comprises: one or more third controllers being configured to: send the screen information to the mobile terminal in response to the access from the mobile terminal; make the contract with a user of the image forming apparatus based on the contract information input in the registration screen; and decide to deliver a new consumable to the user of the image forming apparatus based on the contract information and the notified consumable information.
5. The delivery system according to claim 4 , wherein the one or more first controllers are further configured to: cause the image forming device to print the report including the message and the two-dimensional bar code in accordance with a predetermined button having been pressed on a home screen in a state where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs and the contract is not performed.
6. The delivery system according to claim 4 , wherein the one or more first controllers are further configured to: cause the first display to display a screen including a button for prompting the user of the image forming apparatus to make the contract of the delivery service in a case that the contract is not performed.
7. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet using a consumable and being operable to receive a delivery service for delivering the consumable, the image forming apparatus comprising: a display that displays information; and one or more controllers being configured to: cause the display to display a message that recommends the contract of the delivery service and a two-dimensional bar code based on information of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a web site of a server for performing the contract of the delivery service in a case where a low remaining state of the consumable, in which a remaining amount of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus becomes lower than a predetermined amount, occurs in a state where the contract is not performed; cause the display to display the message and the two-dimensional bar code in accordance with a predetermined button having been pressed on a screen in a state where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs and the contract is not performed; and notify the server of consumable information in a case where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs in a state where the contract is performed.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to: cause the display to display a screen for prompting a user to perform the contract of the delivery service in a case where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs in a state in which the contract of the delivery service is not performed.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the screen includes information indicating that the remaining amount of the consumable is less than the predetermined amount.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the screen includes a selectable object for causing the display to display the two-dimensional bar code.
11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the contract of the delivery service includes at least one of that contract information has been input in the web site of the server and that the image forming apparatus holds contract information of a user that makes use of the delivery service.
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the contract information includes at least one of a serial number, a checksum and an address of the user.
13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more controllers further generates the two-dimensional bar code using the information of the URL and parameter information.
14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the parameter information includes at least one of country information, identification information of the image forming apparatus, the remaining amount of the consumable that is being used, and identification information of the consumable that is being used.
15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to: cause the display to display a screen including a button for prompting a user of the image forming apparatus to make the contract of the delivery service in a case that the contract is not performed.
16. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet using a consumable and being operable to receive a delivery service for delivering the consumable, the image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming device that prints an image on a sheet; one or more controllers configured to: cause the image forming device to print a report including a two-dimensional bar code based on information of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a web site of a server for performing a contract of the delivery service in a case where a low remaining state of the consumable, in which a remaining amount of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus becomes lower than a predetermined amount, occurs in a state where a contract of the delivery service is not performed; cause the image forming device to print the report including the two-dimensional bar code in accordance with having a predetermined button been pressed on a screen in a state where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs and the contract is not performed; and notify the server of consumable information in a case where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs in a state where the contract is performed.
17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to: cause a display to display a screen for prompting the user to perform a contract of the delivery service in a state where the low remaining state of the consumable that is being used in the image forming apparatus occurs in a state in which the contract of the delivery service is not performed.
18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the screen includes information for notifying that the remaining amount of the consumable is less than the predetermined amount.
19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the screen includes a selectable object for causing the display to display the two-dimensional bar code.
20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the contract of the delivery service includes at least that contract information has been input in the web site.
21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the contract information includes at least one of a serial number, a checksum and an address of the user.
22. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the contract of the delivery service includes at least that the image forming apparatus holds contract information of a user that makes use of the delivery service.
23. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the one or more controllers further generates the two-dimensional bar code using the information of the URL and parameter information.
24. The image forming apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the parameter information includes at least one of country information, identification information of the image forming apparatus, the remaining amount of the consumable that is being used, and identification information of the consumable that is being used.
25. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the consumable includes toner provided with a process cartridge.
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May 10, 2022
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